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acesarrows's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic book! Interesting, fascinating, disturbing, and a wonderful example of journalistic observation. Storr delves into the thorny questions of why people believe strange things (UFO's, past-life regressions, creationism, homeopathy) in the absence of any evidence, and he interviews and speaks to those who hold ideas that we would consider to be slightly off the beaten path (holocaust deniers for one).
However, Storr manages to infuse this entire book with a sense of humility and compassion. For ourselves, for those on the 'right' side of the debate (scientists, doctors, skeptics), and for those who hold these strange ideas.
Yes, there are people out there who believe strange things. But so do you. And so do I. Our brains really aren't as logical and rational as we would like to believe them to be, and this book is a fabulous exploration of how that works and what our brains are actually up to.
Highly recommended!
However, Storr manages to infuse this entire book with a sense of humility and compassion. For ourselves, for those on the 'right' side of the debate (scientists, doctors, skeptics), and for those who hold these strange ideas.
Yes, there are people out there who believe strange things. But so do you. And so do I. Our brains really aren't as logical and rational as we would like to believe them to be, and this book is a fabulous exploration of how that works and what our brains are actually up to.
Highly recommended!
seanstarb's review against another edition
5.0
I can't say how glad I am to have read this book. I expected something that tore creationists, homeopaths et al limb from limb, but what we got was something much more nuanced and thoughtful. Like Jon Ronson, Storr is excellent in going on his own journey and then retracing his steps side by side with the reader. Far from opening our minds up to nonsense, Storr instead reminds us how many of our opinions on others are based on taking psychological shortcuts and making assumptions. This book shook up many of my lazy beliefs and although in time many of them may settle back in the same places, I found the experience energising and worthwhile.
bunrab's review against another edition
3.0
I had hoped for a bit more science and a bit less personal dithering, but that's just me. Certainly impressive how many interviews he manages to get with controversial figures!
joeholmes's review against another edition
4.0
This was a terrific trip through all sorts of quackery, fakery, and pseudoscience, but rather than a debunking, Storr puts us in his shoes as his sits down with various extremists and tries to get to the bottom of where their beliefs come from, whether they're sincere, and what happens when deeply-held convictions are directly contradicted. He's surprisingly sympathetic to some and unsympathetic to others.
gijs's review against another edition
3.0
This was ok, but the book came late (2013) in the waning years of the 'new-atheism' (or pro-science or anti-anti-science) revival starting in the mid 2000's (see Sam Harris' 'The end of faith' 2004, Richard Dawkins' ‘The God delusion' 2006 and Christopher Hitchens' ‘god is not great' 2007), and it shows; no real new arguments or insights but a rather pallid rehash of the open vs closed mind discussion which, at that time, had already been exhaustively addressed.
cyclysm748's review against another edition
5.0
Some crazy stories in here. Storr meets people to challenge his beliefs and tells you why you should open your heart a little. This is now one of my favorite books.
gilmoremk's review against another edition
1.0
I was really excited about the premise of the book, but I guess I shouldn't have let my excitement persuade me that this book would be more than what the synopsis says it is. This book is really just a collection of stories about 'heretics' (people who believe 'fringe' or non-traditional world-views), with very little in the form of cohesion or analysis. Although Storr goes to great lengths to point out that he is potentially no more 'right' about the world than they are, he continually uses languages which reinforces the fact that he (and other traditional thinkers) are correct about the way the world works, while those that he talks about are stupid, wrong, delusional, and much more. It's a fun read if all you're looking for is to peek inside the lives of those who chose to live outside the mainstream, but if you're looking for any sort of insight into why people think the way they do, and why they persist in thinking these ways even when evidence is mounted against their position, then you are out of luck.
rtpodzemny's review against another edition
4.0
I'm pretty sure I loved this book, but after reading it I no longer trust my brain to tell me whether or not I love things. How vexing.
Anyway, this is a thoroughly enjoyable examination of why people believe crazy things, why it's so hard to define which beliefs actually are crazy, and why our brains constantly lying to us is a feature rather than a bug.
Anyway, this is a thoroughly enjoyable examination of why people believe crazy things, why it's so hard to define which beliefs actually are crazy, and why our brains constantly lying to us is a feature rather than a bug.
adamrbrooks's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was great. But after reading this book, I know not to trust a dang thing I think.
I heard about this book several months ago, and then heard Storr on the You Are Not So Smart podcast. And he's just fantastic. Honest with himself, challenging, and clearly and compellingly pointing out some of the ways our brains fool us all of the time. And it's all wrapped in funny, slightly acerbic prose.
Truly, I have to ask myself what I believe that is wrong. I think I consider my own views rationally more than most people. But I know that I'm not the only person in the world who is right about everything. (Far from it.) I know that I used to believe things that I now think are wrong.
But one of the major points about the book is that it is virtually impossible for ANY person to see the things they think as wrong or bad. Our brains have ways to stop us from seeing the problems.
This sounds horrible, but it's also one of the things that has allowed us to move forward as a species.
Lots of other salient points from the book:
We hear and see what we expect to hear and see, not necessarily what is there.
And everything, EVERYTHING, is affected by what we (and those around us believe). One quote: "The effects of alcohol on behavior are determined by cultural rules and norms, not by the chemical effects of ethanol." For example, in the US it's seen as a reason to lower inhibitions and get rowdy; other cultures see it as a peaceful, friendly effect.
Another great point is that while it seems like this is all a cruel trick of our brains, but they are also doing amazing, instant calculations that we never perceive, but nonetheless help us.
One aspect in the book that perhaps could have gotten more attention (it's mentioned briefly in the epilogue): It could be misread as saying that we can't change our minds. But we know we can and do. It's just that the process happens at a different level than we "think." Even if our subconscious models drive our thinking, we can tweak those models.
Also, I learned the real definition of confabulation: Our brains tell us stories when they don't understand stuff. And we believe it. We have to. We have no other option.
Here's a VERY weird way that works: Consider muscle twitches when falling asleep (which happens to me all the time). People commonly say, "I dreamt I was falling/tripped/etc." But it turns out that we twitch and then our brains say, "Oh, you had a dream." Kinda mind blowing.
If you're at all interested in how we think, and what makes us human, read this. Storr is smart, asks great questions, and probably even more honest about himself than he needs to be, and t makes a great read.
I heard about this book several months ago, and then heard Storr on the You Are Not So Smart podcast. And he's just fantastic. Honest with himself, challenging, and clearly and compellingly pointing out some of the ways our brains fool us all of the time. And it's all wrapped in funny, slightly acerbic prose.
Truly, I have to ask myself what I believe that is wrong. I think I consider my own views rationally more than most people. But I know that I'm not the only person in the world who is right about everything. (Far from it.) I know that I used to believe things that I now think are wrong.
But one of the major points about the book is that it is virtually impossible for ANY person to see the things they think as wrong or bad. Our brains have ways to stop us from seeing the problems.
This sounds horrible, but it's also one of the things that has allowed us to move forward as a species.
Lots of other salient points from the book:
We hear and see what we expect to hear and see, not necessarily what is there.
And everything, EVERYTHING, is affected by what we (and those around us believe). One quote: "The effects of alcohol on behavior are determined by cultural rules and norms, not by the chemical effects of ethanol." For example, in the US it's seen as a reason to lower inhibitions and get rowdy; other cultures see it as a peaceful, friendly effect.
Another great point is that while it seems like this is all a cruel trick of our brains, but they are also doing amazing, instant calculations that we never perceive, but nonetheless help us.
One aspect in the book that perhaps could have gotten more attention (it's mentioned briefly in the epilogue): It could be misread as saying that we can't change our minds. But we know we can and do. It's just that the process happens at a different level than we "think." Even if our subconscious models drive our thinking, we can tweak those models.
Also, I learned the real definition of confabulation: Our brains tell us stories when they don't understand stuff. And we believe it. We have to. We have no other option.
Here's a VERY weird way that works: Consider muscle twitches when falling asleep (which happens to me all the time). People commonly say, "I dreamt I was falling/tripped/etc." But it turns out that we twitch and then our brains say, "Oh, you had a dream." Kinda mind blowing.
If you're at all interested in how we think, and what makes us human, read this. Storr is smart, asks great questions, and probably even more honest about himself than he needs to be, and t makes a great read.